To Follow My Dream
by Lotus-Lily
Summary: One Shot. A man approaches Zoro with an offer: leave the Straw Hats in pursuit of his own goals to become the greatest swordsman in the world. How will Zoro respond?


To Follow My Dream: Zoro

"Huh?" Zoro cracked one of his eyes open to stare at the man incredulously. Had he heard this guy right?

"I guarantee you won't regret it, Roronoa," smirked the man as he took downed his mug of beer. When a strand of black hair slipped onto his wide forehead, he was quick to slick it back with an elegant motion of his hand. What made this guy's hair so irritatingly shiny like that? Wax? Globs of the stuff, by the looks of it. Despite the fact that they were both sitting on two grubby stools in a messy bar, the man had his legs crossed with nary a wrinkle on his pants; his black tuxedo suit also maintained a fine sheen. The man's composed expression didn't seem to match up to the rowdy mess surrounding them. He looked like he belonged in a first-class diner. Something like the Baratie, not a grubby run-down port bar like this.

Zoro frowned inwardly. This guy's get-up was even worse than a certain perverted cook he knew. He'd never have thought there would be another pirate who insisted on a full-out tuxedo like Sanji did.

"So, what do you say? Care to join my crew?" the man asked again, fingering a large purple ring on his right finger idly. He oozed confidence from every pore in his body, down to the shiny silver shoes adorning his feet. Zoro scowled. This guy's attitude…it pissed him off.

"Hell no."

"Hm, and why-ever not?" the guy didn't miss a beat, obviously having expected Zoro's refusal. "Surely you've heard of me, Roronoa. Are you not familiar with Gentleman pirates? I hate to brag, but I've built up quite a name for myself around the Grand Line."

He briefly dug his hand inside his suit to pull out a Wanted poster. Zoro gave it a glance, noting that the bounty for the man smirking in the picture was at 320 million berries.

'Wanted—Dead or Alive: Gentle-mannered Wesley.'

The picture depicted the same man who currently sat next to Zoro—having taken the seat without the swordsman's permission, he might add.

After ascertaining that Zoro had seen the bounty, the man known as Wesley neatly folded the poster back in half before tucking it away into his jacket. Then, he continued where he had left off. "As you can see, my bounty is higher than your current captain's, which I believe is currently at 300 million. What was his name again…Straw Hat Luffy?"

". . ." Zoro finished off the rest of his beer and threw a few coins onto the counter. He didn't feel like listening to this guy shoot his mouth off where it shouldn't aim anymore. It was about time he headed back to the Sunny anyway.

But when he moved to head towards the exit, Wesley smoothly got up and blocked his way, smiling at the green-haired man coyly. "Now then, what can this be about, hm? Oh, perhaps you may feel guilty about jumping ship so fast. Not to worry . . . if your captain has a problem with you leaving, I'll be able to deal with him on my end without you ever having to lift a finger. I have my own ways of handling pirates who tend to be . . . possessive of their crew."

Okay, now Zoro definitely wasn't amused. "What makes you think I'll want to join you, anyway? I already refused. Now get out of my way before I cut you."

Zoro added his signature glare for emphasis. You. Piss. Me. Off. Clear?

Much to the swordman's chagrin, Wesley merely clicked his tongue at him, as if reprimanding a naughty child. "Well, I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to join up with me. I know your kind, Roronoa. I know how you operate. A swordsman like you can't bear to serve anyone else. I've done a bit of research about you and your crew . . . tell me if I'm correct in assuming that your captain is not only a brainless idiot, but also hot-headed, unappreciative of your true strength, and has a tendency to manhandle you. Eyewitnesses tell me that they have watched Straw-hat Luffy toss you around like a worthless bag of potatoes."

Zoro didn't say anything. Not like he could deny it, anyway. He had repeatedly sworn to himself that he would cut Luffy one day for always throwing him this way and that with those rubber arms of his. The other man seemed to take his silence as an encouraging sign and continued his speech.

"It became quite obvious to me that your captain is unable to draw out your full power. Your dignity as a warrior means nothing to that Straw-hat. You should have realized this yourself; such an idiotic captain will never realize what pride and recognition means to men like you. That is why I've approached you, Roronoa, because I'm a man who can truly appreciate all that you have to offer. You will be given a high rank on my ship; I can let you to battle the most reputed swordsmen on the Grand Line. I'm a gentleman, you see. I know when to let my crew have a little fun without trying to take all the credit for myself, unlike Straw-hat. Another thing . . . you are looking for some swords worthy of your strength, yes? I have the power to provide you with any sword you like—take your pick. My influence is far and wide in these oceans; I am more than able and willing to equip you with everything you need in order to become the greatest swordsman in the world. You won't regret joining my crew, Roronoa. So," he stepped back and held out his hand to Zoro, "what do you say?"

Zoro stared at his outstretched hand for a minute. Any sword he liked?

"You mean _any _sword I want?" he asked.

The man's mouth twisted in a triumphant grin. "Swords much better than any you've ever dream of."

"Hn," Zoro grinned at this. He looked Wesley in the eye as he told him, "Then give me the sword of Dracule Mihawk."

In the brief moment of silence that followed, Zoro realized that the entire bar had been listening in on their conversation. All the other customers sat staring at him, mouths tightly shut, and Zoro's hand automatically came up to his swords as a realization stuck him: all these men were a part of Wesley's crew.

"W-well," stammered Wesley, clearly having been thrown off by Zoro's request. "That is quite a . . . far-fetched request. Haha, very bold of you, very bold. I assume this is a challenge for me? You're wanting to test my worth and see if I'm truly capable of keeping my promises to you?"

He didn't even wait for Zoro to respond as he answered his own question. "Well, but of course, it's always that way with men like you. Your pride won't allow you to serve under someone so easily . . . very well, then. Very well. I will present you with Hawkeye's sword. In return, you shall join me and my crew. Do we have a deal, then, Roronoa Zoro?"

Zoro cocked an eyebrow at him. This guy, was he for real? He didn't look like he was bluffing about getting the sword. Maybe this Wesley guy really did have a method of stealing Mihawk's weapon away.

Not like it mattered.

Slowly, Zoro slid off the bandana tied around his forearm and pulled it over his forehead. He tightened the knot behind his neck, making sure the familiar covering over his head would stay on for the next five minutes.

Wesley persisted in his question, repeating it for good measure. "Roronoa?"

"What?"

"I asked, do we have a deal?"

"And I said," Zoro used his thumb to push the Wado Ichimonji out of its sheath by an inch as he replied, "Hell no."

Gentle-mannered Wesley's face crumbled with anger; the answer was obviously unacceptable. Without a word, he lifted his hand and waved it. It was a signal; instantly, all the men in the bar pulled out their weapons and charged Zoro, knocking over tables and chairs in the way.

Zoro simply pulled out his three swords and got into the three-sword stance.

. . . . .

Zoro's swords paused in midair, about 1 centimeter away from Wesley's throat. The self-proclaimed gentleman fell back onto the floor, his face white with fear. Glancing down, Zoro felt satisfied to see that Wesley's legs were currently shaking even worse than when Usopp had one of his "I-can't-go-to-a-new-island" attacks.

"Five minutes," commented Zoro coolly, re-sheathing his swords and looking around the room. Wesley's crew had been surprisingly tough—the man's 320 million bounty wasn't just for show, apparently. The captain had put up quite a good fight, too, even pulling out some weird devil fruit power at the end. There dripped a fresh trail of blood on Zoro's right cheek from where Wesley had managed to cut him, but that didn't matter much. What was important was that the entire crew of the Gentleman Pirates lay unconscious or dead all over the bar, the sight of their fallen bodies accompanied by broken swords, upturned chairs, and splatters of spilled booze all over the walls. Wesley himself looked to be in some sort of shock. Probably had something to do with the fact that one man had taken down his entire pirate crew in the time it took to finish two mugs of sake.

Zoro sighed. They hadn't even been worth putting on his bandana. He decided he'd have to hurry back to the docks, or else he'd have to face Nami's wrath at him being late . . . again. He really didn't want to have to deal with her for a stupid reason like this. Sweeping the room with eyes once more to make sure none of them made any moves to get back up, Zoro walked over to the swinging doors.

But just as he put one hand on the wooden door, Wesley's shaky voice stopped him short. "You . . . why is a man like you following a boy like Straw-hat? Rather," the gentle-mannered pirate looked up at Zoro in disbelief, "why are you content serving under someone else at all!? This strength . . . ! Your bounty should have been raised a long time ago. Why do you waste your time on someone else's ship when you have the power to pursue your own dreams your own way!?"

This question made Zoro pause.

Why . . . ? Slowly, Zoro turned his head to fix the other man with a cold stare. It served to make the other flinch back; having seen a display of Zoro's fighting prowess only moments before, Wesley couldn't help but shudder as Zoro gave him a feral grin.

This man was dangerous. Roronoa truly deserved the nickname of "demon."

But still, that just made it all the more confusing. Why would a "demon" be content in being somebody else's subordinate?

"Luffy . . ." Zoro paused, thinking back to the first time he had set eyes on the kid. He'd had a stupid grin on his face and had used a stupid threat to coerce Zoro into joining his pirate crew. That _had _been irritating, Zoro didn't deny it. But the boy had also taken the bullets meant to end Zoro's life, and had also been the first one to take Zoro's dream so seriously. Even Kuina had laughed at him the first time he declared his goals to her. But not Luffy.

"I don't bow to anyone," Zoro told the other man, his voice stony. "And I definitely don't serve anyone. The reason I choose to stay with Luffy isn't any of your business, but I'll tell you this much: he saved my life once, and he's the one who's gotten me this far. Without him, I'd probably still be wandering around East Blue somewhere. I stick with Luffy because going along with him looks like the best chance I have to get closer to my goals. And besides, he knows how to respect my pride a lot more than a worthless piece of trash like you . That guy would never offer to get me Hawkeye's sword."

Yeah, the Straw-hat boy would more than likely tell Zoro to go get it himself if he ever wanted it. That's what Zoro appreciated. The boy never presumed that Zoro needed any help—Luffy simply stood by his side, letting Zoro carve his own path out towards his dreams. That was what made it worth it to stay on the Sunny. To stay as that crazy captain's first mate.

"And more importantly . . ." Zoro exited the bar without a backward glance, leaving behind him a dumbfounded pirate and his beaten crew. " . . . His dreams . . . have become mine as well. I will definitely make Luffy the next Pirate King."


End file.
